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Nutrition plays a decisive role across geographies and societal groups in contributing to human health, strengthening resilience and extending the period of being free from non-communicable diseases (NCD) and increasing the quality of life. The objective of this review article is to shed some light on the multiple, often interconnected facets of the increased healthy longevity of populations, one of the greatest success stories humanity has achieved over the last century. Multiple stakeholders need to align to overcome some of the protective 'hurdles' established over decades that focus on treating diseases rather than preventing them whenever possible, and to create coherent policies and incentives with respect to individuals and healthcare systems in order to enable healthier populations.

Competing Interests: Conflict-of-Interest Disclosures: The Global Future Council on Neurotechnologies receives non-financial support from the World Economic Forum and Accenture. Dr. Doraiswamy reports non-financial support from Janssen outside of this work. Dr. Doraiswamy also reports personal fees from Neuronix, Cognoptix, Anthrotronix, Genomind, Apollo Health, and NeuroPro outside of this work. Dr. Doraiswamy also reports grants from Avanir, Lilly, ADDF, CAF, Wrenn Trust, NIH, and DoD outside of this work. Dr. Doraiswamy also reports stock holdings in Anthrotronix, Turtle Shell Tech, Evidation, and Advera Health Analytics. Mr. Varnum reports non-financial support from Accenture. Dr. Le is Founder and CEO of EMOTIV Inc. Dr. Le has also been issued patents numbered 9,867,548; 9,763,592; 9,622,660; 10,028,703; 10,194,865; 10,108,264; and 10,291,977. Dr. Le has the following pending patents: US-2013-0035579; US-2018-0317794; 16/391,071; 16/390,881; and 62/716,969. Dr. Manji is a salaried employee of Janssen Research and Development, LLC.

Background: Diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing rapidly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and constitute a leading cause of mortality. Although a call for global action has been resonating for years, the progress in national policy development in LMICs has not been assessed. This review of strategies to prevent NCDs in LMICs provides a benchmark against which policy response can be tracked over time., Methods and Findings: We reviewed how government policies in LMICs outline actions that address salt consumption, fat consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, or physical activity. A structured content analysis of national nutrition, NCDs, and health policies published between 1 January 2004 and 1 January 2013 by 140 LMIC members of the World Health Organization (WHO) was carried out. We assessed availability of policies in 83% (116/140) of the countries. NCD strategies were found in 47% (54/116) of LMICs reviewed, but only a minority proposed actions to promote healthier diets and physical activity. The coverage of policies that specifically targeted at least one of the risk factors reviewed was lower in Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Eastern Mediterranean compared to the other two World Health Organization regions, South-East Asia and Western Pacific. Of the countries reviewed, only 12% (14/116) proposed a policy that addressed all four risk factors, and 25% (29/116) addressed only one of the risk factors reviewed. Strategies targeting the private sector were less frequently encountered than strategies targeting the general public or policy makers., Conclusions: This review indicates the disconnection between the burden of NCDs and national policy responses in LMICs. Policy makers urgently need to develop comprehensive and multi-stakeholder policies to improve dietary quality and physical activity.

Non-communicable diseases (NCD), such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, are by far the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 60% of all deaths. Unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are well-established risk factors for overweight and the major NCD. In response to the rapid global growth of the NCD burden, the 2008 Action Plan on Prevention and Control of NCD and the 2004 Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (DPAS) have been developed and endorsed as key international policy instruments. As part of the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) to implement these resolutions, a framework describing the core elements for the development and implementation of a national school policy focused on diet and physical activity has been developed. This framework is included in the "DPAS implementation tool box", and it aims to guide policy-makers in the development and implementation of policies that promote healthy eating and physical activity in the school setting through changes in environment, behaviour and education. The article describes the key elements of the framework and details how this tool is integrated into other WHO activities to provide leadership, guidance, capacity building, evidence-based recommendations and advocacy for action to improve dietary practices and increase physical activity globally.